Fan and motor structure



March 1946. T. H. TROLLER ETAL FAN AND MOTOR sTRucTU'RE Filed Dec. 6, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS BY M P.

I I v M I March 1946 T. H. TROLLER EI'AL FAN AND MOTOR STRUCTURE Filed Dec. 6, 1945 2 Shegts-Sheet 2 INVENTORS M 4.12% BY m 1: W

Patented Mar. 26, 1946 2,397,109 FAN AND MoTon STRUCTURE Theodor n. Troiler and Chester P. Jenkins, New Philadelphia, Ohio, assignors to La-Del Conveyor & Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Ohio Application December 6, 1943, Serial No. 513,169

6 Claims. ((21. 239-111) The invention relates in general to a fan and motor housing and more particularly to a fan and motor housing for an axial flow fan.

An object of the invention is the provision of a fan and motor housing in which the motor and fan may be readily mounted and aligned within the housing.

In the design of certain axial flow fans, the electric motor which drives the fan may have a diameter just as large as the diameter of the fan hub. In this invention, the motors are selected as they are built by motor manufacturers and the-housing of the present invention is built around the motor to obtain the best air flow requirements. Consequently, when selecting a motor, the diameter thereof may be just as large as the hub of the fan.

Therefore, an object of the invention is the provision of mounting a motor in an axial flow fan housing in which the mounting of the motor is confined within the limits of the hub of the fan, so that the mounting of the motor does not interfere with. the best air flow 'requirements.

Another object of the invention is the proment guide ring which is integrally connected to the air guide vanes which in turnare connected to the outer annular wall of the axial flow fan housing.

Another object of the invention'is the provision of an annular abutment guide ring having a simple-faced construction, that is, a construction hawng no appendages to interfere with thefsuccessful casting of the annular abutment guide ring integrally with the guide vanes which inturn are integrally connected to, the outer annular wall of the axial flow fan housing.

Another object of the invention is the provision of integrally connecting the annular abutment guide ring to the inner ends of the guide vanes and at the leading edges of the vanes.

Another object of the invention is the provision of curving the leading edges of the guide vanes substantially tangentially to the forward side surface-of the guide ring next adjacent to vision of mounting themotor to an annular abutforward end of the flared portion I2.

vision of a shoulder on the end wall of the motor which'engages the annular abutment guide ring for holding the motor against longitudinal movement within the outer annular housing and for aligning the motor substantially con-.

centric within the outer annular housing for the axial flow fan. I

Another object of the invention is the provision of a fan and motor housing in which the motor and fan are so mounted and aligned withof the outside main air duct with the other parts shown in a side-elevational view; and

Figure 4 is a front view of the device shown in Figures 1 and 3.

With reference to the drawings, the fan and motor housing comprises a cast structure having an outer annular wall Ill and a plurality of air guide vanes I4 integrally connected thereto. The air guide vanes M are annularly spaced around the outer annular wall and extend inwardly toward the center of the housing. The inner ends of the vanes ll receive the motor I5 which is mounted substantially concentric within the outer annular wall l0. Theforward end of the outer annular wall III is provided with an I outwardly flared portion l2 to receive the incoming air. A screen l3 may be provided on the The flared portion l2 maybe integrally constructed with the outer annular wall It], or may be constructed in a separate piece as shown, andanchored thereto by means of bolts 24. The rear end of the outer annular wall may be provided with a connecting flange H whereby the housing may be suitably fastened to other conducting ducts which are not shown. 1 V

The motor I5 is mounted to an annular abutment guide ring I 8 which is integrally cast to the inner ends of the air guide vanes II at the leading edges 25 of the vanes. As shown in Figure 1, the

motor has an end wall i8 connected to the centrally disposed magnetic field frame 2l by means of screws IS. The end wall I! of the motor is provided with a shoulder defined by an annular sidearea 21 and a cylindrical area 28. The annular abutment guide ring is a simple-faced con-.

struction in that it has no appendages and comprises an exterior surface 28, an interior surface 30, a forward side surface 3| and a rearward side [the annular abutment guide ring and holds the motor stationary against longitudinal movement within the outer annular wall. The cylindrical area 28 of the shoulder on the end-wall of the motor engages the interior surface 30 of the annular abutment guide ring and aligns the motor and the fan 23 substantially concentric within the outer annular wall III. The annular side area 21 and the cylindrical area 28 of the shoulder on the end wall I8 of the motor, and the rearward side surface 32 and the interior surface 30 of the annular abutment guide ring may be machined to give a perfect mounting of the motor within the outer annular wall Ill to keep the tip clearance of the fan blades to a close minimum. 'The end well I. may be securely mounted in position by means of the cap screws I! which draws the annular side area 21 of the shoulder on the end wall I8 closely against the rearward side surface 32 of the abutment guide ring. The forward side surface SI of the annular abutment guide ring extends outwardly from the interior surface 30 and meets with the exterior surface 29. Accordingly,

the annular abutment guide ring I6 is of a slmple-.

faced construction and as such does not subject the air guide vanes l4 to any uneven stresse's during the casting and the cooling of the entire cast structure which includes the outer annular wall I0, the "air guide vanes l4 and the annular abutment guide ring l8. Furthermore, each'of the leading edges of the air guide vanes I4 and the annular abutment guide ring have a thickness of substantially the same general value and the radial depth of the annular abutment guide ring I6 is less than that of the air guide vanes I4. The proportioning of the parts as shown inthe drawings, and as explained hereinabove, greatly facilitates the casting of the outer annular wall III. the air guide vanes l4 and the annular abutment guide ring it in one integral piece, while at the same time keeping the internal stresses during casting and the cooling of the casting to a minimum. The annular abutment guide ring I6 is not so large or so irregular as to setup internal stresses during the casting of the integrally connected parts. In addition, the trailing edge portions 26 of the air guide vanes I4 are likewise relieved of any internal stresses'since the annular abutment guide ring I6 is suspended in a radial inward direction from the leading edge of the vanes I4, in that the construction is free of internal stresses which might tend to break or crack the annular abutment guide ring I6 away from one or more of the inner ends of the air guide vanes I4. The stress within the integrally cast air guide vanes l4 and the annular abutment guide ring I8 is further relieved by making the leading edges 25 of the air guide vanes I4 curve tangentially with respect to the forward side surface 3i, where the air guide vanes are integrally connected to the annular abutment guide ring l8.

' This invention contemplates the construction where the annular abutment guide ring is divided 7 into a plurality of arcuate sections acting as lugs to hold and guide the motor within the outer annular wall. In other words, the guide ring may be continuous or dis-continuous, In the claims.

the expression, "an annular abutment guide ring includes both a continuous or dis-continuous ring.

Although we have described our invention with 'a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from'the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is: a

1. In anaxial flow fan structure comprising an 7 electric motor having a shaft and a fan mounted thereon having a hub and outwardly extending blades, the improvement of a fan and motor housing comprising a cast structure having an outer annular wall and a plurality of annularly spaced and inwardly extending vanes connected to the outer annular wall, the inner ends of the vanes receiving the motor substantially concentrically within the outer annular wall, an annular abutment guide ring connected to the inner ends of the vanes, said motor having an end wall supporting a bearing for said motor shaft, said end wall having angularly directed surfaces defining a shoulder, one of said surfaces constituting an annular side area abutting against a side of the annular abutment guide ring and the other surface constituting a cylindrical area engaging the inner surface of the annular abutment guide ring, means securing the end wall of the motor to the annular abutment guide ring for holding the motor against longitudinal movement and aligning the motor substantially concentrically within the outer annular wall, the external surface of the annular abutment guide ring substantially coinciding with the external surface of the motor and of the nose-like hub of the fan.

2. In an axial flow fan structure comprising an electric motor having a shaft and a fan mounted thereon having a hub and outwardly extending blades, the improvement of a fan and motor housing comprising a cast structure having an outer annular wall and a plurality of annularly spaced and inwardly extending vanes integrally connected to the outer annular wall, the inner ends of the vanes receiving the motor substantially concentrically within the outer annular wall, an annular abutment guide ring integrally connected to the inner ends of the vanes, said guide ring having an exterior surface, an interior surface, a first annular side surface and a second annular side surface, said motor having an end wall supporting a bearing for said motor shaft, said end wall having angularly directed surfaces defining a shoulder, one of said shoulder surfaces constituting an annular side area abutting against the first annular side surface of the guide rin and the other shoulder surface constituting a cylindrical area engaging the interior-surface of the guide ring, means securing the end wall of the motor to the guide ring for holding 'the motor against longitudinal movement and aligning'thc of the fan, said second annular side surface of the guide ring extending outwardly from the interior surface and meeting with the exterior surface.

3. In an axial flow fan structure comprising an'electric motor having a shaft and a fan mounted thereon having a hub and outwardly extending blades, the improvement of a fan and motor housing comprising a cast structure having an outer annular wall and a plurality of annularly spaced and inwardly extending vanes integrally connected to the outer annular wall, the inner ends of the vanes receiving the motor substantially concentrically within the outer an-I nular wall, an annular abutment guide ring integrallyconnected to the inner ends of the vanes, said guide ring having an exterior surface, an interior surface, a first annular side surface and a second annular side surface said motor having an end wall supporting'a bearing for said motor shaft, said end wall having an annular side area abutting against the first annular side surface of the guide ring, means securing the end wall of the motor to the annular abutment guide ring for holding the motor against longitudinal movement and aligning the motor substantially concentrically within the outer annular wall, the external surface of the annular abutment guide ring substantially coinciding with the external surface of the motor and the nose-like hub of the fan, said interior surface and said first annular side surface of the guide ring angularly intersecting each other, said second annular side surface of the guide ring extending outwardly from the interior surface and meeting with the exterior surface.

4. In an axial flow fan structure comprising an electric motor having a shaft and a fan mounted thereon having a hub and outwardly extending blades, the. improvement of a fan and motor housing comprising a cast structure having an outer. annular wall and a plurality of annularly spaced and inwardly extending vanes integrally 1 connected to the outerannular Wall, the inner ends of the vanes receiving the motor substantially concentrically within the outer annular wall, an annular abutment guide ring integrally connected to the inner ends of the vanes and at the leading edges thereof, said guide ring having an exterior surface, an interior surface, a first annular side surface and a second annular side surface, said motor having an end wall supporting a bearing for said motor shaft, said end wall having an annular side area abutting against the first annular side surface of the guide ring, means securing the end wall of the motor to the annular abutment guide ring for holding the motor against longitudinal movement and aligning the motor substantially concentrically within the outer annular wall, the external surface of the annular abutment guide ring substantially coinciding with the external surface of the motor and the nose-like hub of the fan, said interior surface and said first annular side surface of the guide ring angularly intersecting each other, said secextending blades, the improvement of a fan and motor housing comprising a cast structure have ing an outer annular wall and a plurality of annularly spaced and-inwardly extending varies integrally connected to the outer annular-wall; the inner ends of the vanes receiving the motor substantially concentrically within the outer annular wall, an annular abutmentguide ring integrally connected to the inner ends of the vanes and at the leading edges thereof, said guide ring having an exterior surface, an. interior surface, a first annular side surface and a second annular side surface, said motor having an end wall supportciding with the external surface of the motor and the nose-like hub of the fan, said interior surface and said first annular side surface of the guide ring angularly intersecting each other, said second annular side surface of the guide ring extending outwardly from the interior surface and meeting with the exterior surface, said leading edges being curved tangentially with respect to the second annular side surface'of the guide ring where they are integrally connected to the 1 guide ring.

6. In an axial flow fan structure comprising an electric motor having a shaft and a fan mounted thereon having a hub and outwardly extending blades;=.the improvement of a fan and motor 1 housing comprising a cast structure having an outer annular wall and a plurality of annularly spaced and inwardly extending vanes integrally connected to' the outer annular wall, the inner ends of the vanes receiving the motor substanend annular side surface of the guide ring extending outwardly from the interior surface and tiallg;- concentrically within the outer annular wallggtan annular abutment guide ring integrally connected to'the inner ends of the vanes and at the leading edges thereof, said guide ring having an exterior surface, an interior surface, a first annular side surface and a-second annular side surface, said motor having an end wall supporting a bearing for said motor shaft, said end wall having an annular side area abutting against the first annular side surface of the guide ring, means securing the end wall of the motor to the annular abutment guidering for holding the motor against longitudinal movement and aligning the motor substantially concentrically within the outer annular wall, the external surfaceof the annular abutment guide ring substantially coinciding with" the external surface and said first annular side surface of theguide ring-angularly intersecting each other, said second annular side surface of the guide ring extending outwardly from the interior surface and meeting with the exterior surface, each of the leading edges of the varies and the guide ring having a thickness of substantially the same general value and the radial depth of the guide ring being less than that of the vanes.

\ 'I'HEODOR H. TROLLER.

I CHESTER P.. JENKINS. Y i 

